Controller for propellers.



N0. 702,|29. Patented June I0, 1902.

W. COOPER.

CONTROLLER FDR PROPELLEBS.

(Application filed Apr. 27, 1901.)

(Nb Model.)

Tm; Norms Pzrzns 00., Pfim'auma. WASHiNGTON. o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM OOOPER, OF DENVER, OOLORADO.

CONTROLLER FOR PROPELLERSQ SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 702,129, dated June 10, 1902.

Application filed April 27, 1901.

I To. all whom it may concern:

. dent of the city of Denver, county of Arapa-- hoe, and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gontrollers for Propellers, of which thefollowing is a specification. L

In the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, Figure I is a longitudinal sectional view alongthe dotted line I I in Fig. II of a ships hull, showing my invention applied. Fig. II is a cross-section along the dotted line II II in Fig. I, and Fig. III is a detailed view of the steam-valve and steam-escape arrangement.

My invention, generally speaking, consists of means whereby the racing of the screws or propellers of ships is automatically avoided. In such vessels great trouble is experienced from the racing of the screw or propeller, which while being driven is thrown out of the water by the pitching or rolling of the vessel in heavy'seas. The screw being lifted above or near the surface of the waves,

it is thus relieved wholly or partially from the sea-pressure exerted upon it when it is at its normal depth below the surface, and it accordingly begins to race or revolve at a greatly-accelerated speed, the whole power of the engines or other source of power being effective without the full resisting pressure of the water. When the pitching or rolling of the vessel throws the screw back into or farther beneath the surface of the sea once more, there at once results a sudden shock as the full pressure of the sea is in an instant again exerted against the racing screw, tending to stop the same. This frequently results in the breaking of some part of the machinery of the vessel, as the screw-blades, the propeller-shaft, or the engine itself, disabling the vessel and frequently wrecking her. I overcome this trouble by providing an automatic device whereby when the stern of the vessel pitches or rolls the. screw wholly or partially out of water the release of the full pressure of the sea against the sternof the vessel operates to either wholly or in part, as desired, shut off the power from the engine, and thus stop or slow up the screw, and when the pitching or rolling of the hull again brings Serial No. 57,665 (No model.)

power is wholly or partially shut off, so that the screw stops revolving or revolves slowly, and when the screw is again immersed to its normal depth in the water the shock of the 1 full pressure of the sea applied suddenly against the blades of the screw is so slight as not to endanger the machinery of the vessel, and upon such immersion the screw automatically resumes its normal revolution.

The following is a detailed description of my invention, reference being had to the drawings.

1 is the hull of the vessel; 2, the boilers; 3, the engines; 4, the screw or propeller shaft; 5, the screw or propeller; 6, the steam-line between the boilers and the engine; 6, the engine-throttle. I build into the hull of the vessel at its'stern a cylinder 7, made of any suit'ablecomposition and open at its rear end for the entrance of the sea, in which cylinder is placed a piston 8, fitted to reciprocate in the section of the cylinder contained between the stops 9 9.

10 is a piston-rod fixed to piston 8 and extending forward through the head or guide 11.

12 is a spiral spring coiled around pistonrod 10 between head 11 and piston 8, operating when the cylinder is free from the full sea-pressure to push piston 8 back in the cylinder against the rear stops 9 9. I have shown a single spring; but any number of. arrangements of the same may be used, as found necessary, the result desired being the pushing back of the piston in the cylinder when the sea pressure is reduced or removed, the springs acting, so to speak, to take up the slack in the sea-pressure. the springs is so regulated that when the full sea-pressure is exerted in the cylinder-that is, the pressure of the sea when the screw is at its normal operative depth in the water The strength of the piston is forced forward in the cylinder against forward stops 9 9; but as the pressure becomes less the piston correspondingly moves back in the cylinder, so that when the screw is partially out of water or approaches near the surface thereof the steam is partially shut off.

Piston-rod at its inner end is loosely attached to vertical lever 13 by a pin 14 working in slot 15 in lever 13, lever 13 being pivotally attached at its lower extremity to a portion of the vessel and at its upper ex tremiiy attached in a like manner to governing-rod 16, which extends forward and operates a shutter or other quick-acting valve in steam-line 6, being pivotally attached to arm 17 of large pinion 18 of said valve. Pinion 18 engages smaller pinion 19, which in turn engages alike pinion 20, pinions 19 and 20 operating the valve-shutters 21 21.

22 's an escape-throttle or exhaust device in pipe 22 and is controlled by the move ment of arm 17 of large pinion 1 The arrangement is such that when the shuttervalve is closed or at its position nearest closing the escape-throttle 22 is by the same M, -nnovement opened, so that the steam from the boilers either wholly or in a large degree escapes to a condenser or the open air.

The different parts of this mechanism are so assembled that when, as in Fig. I, the pressure of the sea is exerted against piston 8, driving it forward in the cylinder 7against the forward stops 9 9 and compressing spring 12, the piston-rod 10 by means of lever 13 pushes forward the governing-rod 16, partially revolving pinion 18, which in turn causes pinions 19 and 20 to turn, opening shutters 21 21 of the valve in the steam-line and at the same time closing escape-throttle 22. Thus the steam would be admitted in full force to the engine and the screw revolved at full speed. hen the pitch or roll of the vessel elevates the screw and also the cylinder so that the screw is either out of the water or so near the surface that the seapressure is materially lessened, the spring 12 forces piston 8 back in the cylinder against rear stops 9 9, and thus by means of pistonrod 10 and lever 13 drawing back governorrod 16 and, as shown in Fig. III of the draw ings, partially rotating pinion 18, thus causing pinions 19 and 20 to turn shutters 21 21, so that they close the valve in the steam-line 6 and at the same time opening escape-throttle 22 in exhaust 22. In practice it is often desirable to shut off the steam only partially, so that when the screw is out of water it will still revolve slowly and the engines will not entirely stop. This can be effected by arranging the shutters of the valve in steamline 6 so that they will never close entirely,

but will always admit some steam-pressure to the engine. In case the sea-pressure is only partially reduced in the cylinder 7 the spring 12 would only be able to advance piston 8 part way in cylinder 7, thus only partially closinglthe valve in steam-line 6, and so only reducing the speed of screw 5 to accomodate it to the reduced sea-pressure.

I may use only the exhaust 22 to reduce the pressure, thus doing away with the sh utter-valve, the exhausting of the steam in the steam-line serving to sufficiently and efficiently reduce the steam-pressure on the engines without the use of additional stop-valves in the steam-line. This will do away with the straining and racking of the line when the stop-valve is operated.

I have shown in the drawings for the sake of clearness the cylinder 7 placed in the same horizontal plane as the screw 5; but this is not essential. The cylinder can be placed in any relative position Where it will act sympathetically with the position of the screw and the varying sea-pressure on the screw. I have shown the coiled spiral spring inthe cylinder operating to push back the piston in the cylinder; but other means of forcing back the piston in such a case may be substituted, such as steam or compressed air. I may attach lever 13 at its top, which may be extended up to the deck of the vessel, instead of at the bottom, or I may substitute other means of governing the valve in the steamline by motion of piston 8 in cylinder 7, such as a pneumatic or electric connection or by steam-pressure. It is preferable to arrange the connection between piston 8 and the steam-valve so that it may be detached when desired and the piston disconnected from the valve.

I have described the mechanism shown in the drawings to more clearly illustrate how my invention may be put in practice; but it may be used not only with steam vessels of the type shown, but also with steam-driven vessels of other types and by vessels driven by electricity or any other propulsive force, in such cases the governing apparatus operated by sea-pressure being connected with means for controlling the source of power, be it a dynamo, storage battery, or whatever other means of driving the ship is utilized.

It will be readily seen from the above that I have produced a novel and efficient method of overcoming and preventing one of the great dangers attendant upon operating a vessel in rough seas, many serious and costly accidents having occurred, as above described.

Although I have described with great minuteness and particularity the practical working of my invention, I do not intend to limit myself thereby, but claim broadly-- 1. In steam-driven vessels, the combination of a propeller; a horizontal cylinder in the hull of said vessel open to its full diameter to the sea at a point in the stern of said vessel adjacent to said propeller; a piston reciprocating in said cylinder and acted upon in one direction by sea-pressure and in the other direction by mechanical means; boilers; propelling-engines; a steam-line connecting said boilers and said propelling-engines, and an exhaust-valve in said steainline operated by said piston.

2. In steam-driven vessels, the combination of a propeller; a horizontal cylinder in the hull of said vessel open to its full diameter to the sea at'a point in the stern of said vessel adjacent to said propeller; a'piston reciprocating in said cylinder and acted upon in one direction by sea-pressure and in the other direction by mechanical means; boilers; propelling-engines; a steam-line conmeeting said boilers and said engines; a valve in said steam-line; an exhaust on said steamline between the boilers and said valve and coupled with said valve, and means whereby said valve is operated by the movement of said piston in said cylinder.

3. In steam-propelled vessels, the combination of a propeller; a horizontal cylinder in the hull of said vessel open to its full diameter to the sea at a pointin the stern of said vessel adjacent to said propeller; a piston re in one direction by sea-pressure: and in the a valvecontrolled by the reciprocation of said piston in said cylinder, and means for reducis closed.

this 20th day of April, 1901.

Witnesses: p I

ALEXANDER WISHART,

EDWARD A.'LAWREN0E;

ciprocating in'said cylinder and acted upon other. direction by mechanical means; boilers; propelling-engines; a steam-line conv necting said boilers and propelling-engines;

ing the pressure in said steam li ne between" said boilers and said valve when said valve Signed by me at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,-

WIL IAM COQPER. 

